Storage and shipping case

ABSTRACT

A two-piece case or carton including a bottom section or tray in which canned fruits, vegetables, or the like, may be stored after canning in the production season, and from which the cans may be readily removed at a later date for labelling and thereafter replaced in said bottom or tray section with a minimum of damage thereto and a minimum of labor involved in removing and replacing the cans. The other, cover section of the carton or case is applied to the tray section after the labelled cans have been replaced therein and can include printed indicia identifying the wholesaler or purchaser of the product. The lid or cover section will be bright and new at the time of its application to the tray section to provide a shipping case having a generally new and undamaged appearance.

United States Patent 1191 Russell July 3, 1973 STORAGE AND SHIPPING CASE Primary ExaminerDavis T. Moorehead [76] Inventor: Lee E. Russell, 2114 Idlewild Randdph Avenue, Tampa, Fla. 33610 [22 Filed: June 30, 1971 [571 ABSTRACT [21] AppL 158,454 A two-piece case or carton including a bottom section or tray in which canned fruits, vegetables, or the like, may be stored after canning in the production season, UeSe Cl- BT, and from the cans may be readily removed at a I e e e e e e e e later date for and thereafter replaced in said [58] Field of Search 229/23 HT, 32, 45, bottom or tray Section with a minimum f damage 229/33, 23 C thereto and a minimum of labor involved in removing and replacing the cans. The other, cover section of the References Clled carton or case is applied to the tray section after the la- UNITED STATES PATENTS belled cans have been replaced therein and can include 2,334,902 11/1943 Buttery 229 32 Printed indicia identifying the wholesaler of Purchaser 3,543,994 12/1970 Clark 229/23 BT 0f the product The i or cover i n ill be right 2,800,866 4/1959 Van Dyck 229/23 81 UX and new at the time of its application to the tray section 3,425,544 2/1969 Ayer et al 206/655 X to provide a shipping case having a generally new and Reynolds 1 X undamaged appearance 3,569,823 8/1971 Zitzerman 229/33 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented July 3, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTQR FIG. 2

LEE E. RUSSELL Patented July 3, 1973 3,743,167

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I i I 1 '4)? J y I 'E I v r f 4 Z II 207/ I87 20 8 FIG. 4

l6 FIG 5 INVENTOR LEE E. RUSSELL ATTORNEY I STORAGE AND SHIPPING CASE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Cases or cartons generally utilized for storing and shipping can goods are usually of one-piece construction. When such filled cases are opened, after storage, for removing and labelling the cans, the cases are frequently damaged in opening the sealed covers or top portions, and considerable labor is involved in removing the cans from the cases and thereafter replacing the labelled cans in the cases and rescaling the cases, if not too badly damaged, for use as a shipping case.

SUMMARY It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a storage and shipping case or carton including a section in which unlabelled cans may be readily stored until purchased, and from which the cans may be readily removed for labelling and thereafter replaced in said case section without damage thereto and with a minimum of labor involved.

Another object of the invention is to provide a case having a second section or cover which may be applied to the aforementioned section after the labelled cans have been replaced therein, and which can include indicia setting forth the brand name and other identifying data of the customer or purchaser.

A further object of the invention is to provide a case which, when the cover is applied thereto, constitutes a shipping case having a bright and new appearance.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a storage and shipping case involving a minimum amount of material, which may be very economically manufactured and sold, which can be readily assembled, and wherein the cover section may be purchased separately at the time the can goods are ready for shipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the bottom section in blank or extended form;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view showing the bottom section assembled to provide a tray for containing a dozen cans;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the cover extended or in blank form;

FIG. 4 is an end view showing the cover applied to the tray section to provide the shipping case; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the shipping case, on a reduced scale.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more specifically to the drawings, the stor- I age and shipping case comprises a bottom section or tray A and a top section or cover B, each of which is formed of a single piece of cardboard or the like.

The section A in its blank or extended form, as illustrated in FIG. 1, is substantially square and includes an elongated central portion 6 disposed between corresponding side portions 7 and corresponding end portions 8. The side portions 7 are each of a length corresponding to the length of the central portion 6 plus the width of the two end portions 8. The sides 7 are separated from the ends 8 by narrow cut-outs 9 which extend across the ends of the end walls 8. End portions of the sides 7, which align with the end walls 8, constitute corner flaps 10. The side walls 7 are each of a I width substantially greater than the width of the end walls 8.

Glue or other suitable adhesive 1 l is applied, preferably in stripes, to the upper or inner sides of the end portions of the end walls 8. In forming the tray of FIG. 2 from the blank of FIG. I, the sides 7 are folded upwardly relative to the central portion or bottom 6 along the fold lines 12, and the comer flaps 10 are folded inwardly relative to the remainders of the side walls 7 along the fold lines 13, after which the end walls are folded upwardly along the fold lines 14, and secured to the side walls 7 by the glue stripes l1 adhering to the outer sides of the lower portions of the comer flaps 10.

The end walls 8, as seen in FIG. 2, terminate substanprovided with printed indicia, not shown, indicating the contents of the cans 15 thereof, such as Unsweetened Grapefruit Juice.

The lid or cover section B is shown in extended or blank form in FIG. 3 and includes a central portion 16 of substantially the same dimensions as the bottom 6, corresponding side flaps 17 and corresponding end flaps 18. The under or inner sides of the flaps 17 each have an adhesive or glue stripe 19 extending substantially from end-to-end thereof. Each end flap 18 has a plurality, preferably three, transversely extending adhesive or glue stripes 20, on the underside thereof and adjacent the ends of said flap.

When the filled trays of FIG. 2 are sold, the tray and its contents are returned to the packing line, not shown, and the cans are readily removed from the tray A by inverting the tray for depositing the cans on a conveyor, not shown, leading to a labelling machine, not shown, where the cans 15 are labelled and returned to the can packer. The trays A are conveyed to the can packer so that the labelled cans may be returned to said trays, which are then conveyed to a gluer, not shown, where the glue stripes 19 and 20 are applied to the lids B. The lids B are then inverted and applied to the trays A with the top portions 16 resting on the tops of the cans 15.

The side flaps l7 arefolded down and secured to the upper portions of the side walls 7 by the glue stripes 19. The end flaps 18 are folded down and secured to the outer sides of the exposed upper portions of the corner flaps 10, as seen in FIG. 2, by the glue stripes 20, so that the bottom edges of the end flaps 18 will abut the upper edges of the end walls 8, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, for completing the shipping case A,B. The outer sides of the end flaps 18 may have indicia thereon including the purchaser's name and brand designatiomso that each end of the shipping case will include this information plus information as to the contents of the cans 15.

It will be readily apparent that the cover section B will give an appearance of newness to the shipping case since it is not applied while the cans are in storage and, in fact, sections B need not be purchased and printed until the filled trays are sold, thus reducing the capital investment of the producer.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention.

1 claim as my invention:

1. A storage and shipping package comprising a onepiece bottom or tray section, a one-piece lid or cover section, and a plurality of rigid articles; said sections comprising a case, said bottom section including a central portion defining a rectangular bottom, side walls and end walls surrounding said bottom and extending upwardly therefrom, said side walls having extensions forming inturned corner flaps disposed on the inner sides of end portions of the end walls, adhesive means securing said end walls to the corner flaps for completing the tray-like bottom section, said side walls and corner flaps extending to above the level of the end walls; said cover or lid section including a top wall of substantially the same dimensions as said bottom, said lid section having side flaps provided with adhesive means for securing the side flaps to the outer sidesof said side walls and end flaps provided with adhesive means for securement thereof to the outer sides of the exposed upper portions of said cornerflaps and with the end flaps and end walls disposed in edge abutting engagement to provide a case having side and end walls of no more than two ply thickness, said side and end walls fitting closely around the articles, and said articles each being of a height such that their tops and bottoms abut against the top and bottom, respectively, of the case.

2. A case as in claim 1, the height of the individual bined heights of the end walls and end flaps. 

1. A storage and shipping package comprising a one-piece bottom or tray section, a one-piece lid or cover section, and a plurality of rigid articles; said sections comprising a case, said bottom section including a central portion defining a rectangular bottom, side walls and end walls surrounding said bottom and extending upwardly therefrom, said side walls having extensions forming inturned corner flaps disposed on the inner sides of end portions of the end walls, adhesive means securing said end walls to the corner flaps for completing the tray-like bottom section, said side walls and corner flaps extending to above the level of the end walls; said cover or lid section including a top wall of substantially the same dimensions as said bottom, said lid section having side flaps provided with adhesive means for securing the side flaps to the outer sides of said side walls and end flaps provided with adhesive means for securement thereof to the outer sides of the exposed upper portions of said corner flaps and with the end flaps and end walls disposed in edge abutting engagement to provide a case having side and end walls of no more than two ply thickness, said side and end walls fitting closely around the articles, and said articles each being of a height such that their tops and bottoms abut against the top and bottom, respectively, of the case.
 2. A case as in claim 1, the height of the individual side walls and corner flaps being less than the combined heights of the end walls and end flaps. 